20th CENTURY MAN CENTEREDNESS: Parts 3, 4 & 5

III. Need for Truth was needed

First and foremost I would ask them not to bring their misleading and their thoughts of what they think to believe to be truth to the table. Then I would show them that the Word of God is inspired and is used for not for use to analyze but to read and see what we can do to honor and glorify our Lord. Then I would also show them the deity of Christ and what that can show in our salvation because of the fact that his blood is the cure for our sin. Then we would have to show them more about Christ and who he is form the scriptures and prove to them about his death and resurrection. Then show them Adams sin and original sin and how we are all sinners from birth. Also on how sin is selfness and not something that just happens or that we are allowed to even do because we want to or can. These are all doctrines and areas that they lack and hurt upon. Then lastly teach them to repent form that sin and show them that faith is not a feeling in which they think. Yet it is a choice that they can make to enter the Lord’s family forever. And then I’d let them know that Christ death was not an example but yet was the only death that will ever pay for our sins, and there is where we can find true forgiveness in Christ alone in which he accomplished at the cross.

IV. How liberalism of the 20^th century Deconstructed the Text

When dealing with the text like pervious lose of context does not happen often. When it comes to liberal Theology, context is thrown out the door. Liberal theology has allowed Pluralistic Relativism to come in to the picture which gives truth an all together new meaning. This is the act of allowing truth for multiple meanings.[1] I have my truth, you have yours, and everything is OK. The problem with this is that when Liberal Theology come to text like this I have explain, they way they see it is not wrong but it’s another way that is right. The use and misuse of scripture happens constantly. It seems to be that hermeneutics is thrown as well as absolute truth out the door. We have individuals selling books using scripture as something to fill a fit need, or get a fixed feeling. We have speakers giving a phrase or verse to back up their statements so that they can have an audience of hearers agree with them, but know nothing of the scriptures in whole. We have men and somehow women preaching different gospels then which is spoken 2 Tim. 4:1-5. This is majorly due to the so called “theologians” of today’s culture that thinks they know God, but in all honestly I wonder if they do know God. These theologians today do not let scripture stand alone, like scripture says that it can and does stand alone. I find it extremely funny when a man of God says he believes in the Holy Bible, and then in no way does their theology standing on and in Scripture alone. The scripture alone is the means of our path to Godliness, and this scripture alone stands alone.[2]

V. The Problem with Liberalism’s Epistemology

Liberal Theologians main problem in this area is the dealing with epistemology. There is three major ways in which the scriptures and truth is revealed to man, humans, religion, and revelation. Humanly speaking, this is man as the means of absolute final authority. To which I say if this is the way your view scripture what is the reason for even needing scripture. Another view of epistemology is religion, which is mainly the Roman Catholic Church in today’s culture. Although the Roman Catholicism believes the Bible is the final authority, they still have allowed tradition to play in the beliefs of scripture with the praying to Mary, and saints are just two of the examples of their many unscriptural doctrines. Lastly and which I would hold to in epistemology is the view of revelation. This believes that God has communicated himself to man through His spoken Word, the Bible. Although this is a main line view of epistemology there are mainly people in today’s culture that have lost the meaning and view of importance of this scripture. Liberal Theology has brought so many views such as the German rationalism, high criticism, and enlightenment thought in to not only into its system, but as well as man in today’s culture of postmodernism.[3] The advances in Liberal Theology in the past 100 years with the mind set on making the church healthy has lost the meaning of many doctrines, God, sin, atonement, hell, and most of all salvation. This all is what has lead to the wrongful teachings, and misusing of the Bible.

[1] McLaren, Brain. A Generous Orthodoxy. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.) 286-87.

[2] 2 Pet. 1:3, Ps. 19, 119, Matt. 5:17-20, 12:18-27, 26:52-54, Mark 12:24, Luke 10:25-26, 11:25, 16:17, 16:27-31, John 17:17, Acts 20:20-32, 2 Tim. 3:15-17, Heb.4:12, James 1:25, 1 Pet. 2:2

[3] On the advancement of Liberalism read, William, James. The Varieties of Religious Experiences (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1922).